In this Boston Herald article, Darren writes about the 24 hours he spent wearing something called “The Empathy Belly,” which allows men to simulate some of the pains and discomfort of being pregnant. He also blogs about the experience here.

I’ll let you decide whether The Empathy Belly is a really great idea or kind of insulting. On the positive side, the stomach part gets filled with hot water and little shotput balls to simulate arms and legs flailing in the womb. On the negative side, it costs $499 (I’ll spend my tax rebate check elsewhere, thank you very much). And men have the option of taking their pregnant bellies off — a fact that Darren addresses. Below is my favorite passage from his Web site:

“Although there is no way to prove what people do in the privacy of their own homes, the inventor of The Empathy Belly told me she believed I wore it for the longest consecutive period of time. I am the record holder.

“Not so fast, my wife Stacy reminded me. She was experiencing pregnancy far longer than a measley 24 hours. And her suit would only come off in the delivery room.”